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Rare Snow Shocks Johannesburg, South Africa

August 10, 2012; 5:07 AM ET

"Beautiful, unexpected snow! Senderwood, Johannesburg. First time since 27 June 2007!" tweeted @viviennekeytel.

Mobile phones and cameras were out on Tuesday as a rare snow fell in South Africa.

Pretoria, South Africa's capital, and Johannesburg were among the cities whitened by snow.

While snow is not observed every winter in the city of Johannesburg, it does occur every five years or so, AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler said.

"There was a stronger-than-usual storm that went farther north than normal. The storm brought colder air from the antarctic region," Mohler added. "Snow falling in Johannesburg is like getting snow in northern Mexico."

Johannesburg sits at an elevation of approximately 5,500 feet at a latitude of about 26 degrees south.